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Rafa

(Encyclopedia) Rafa or RafahRafaboth: räˈfä [key], town in the present Gaza Strip on the Egyptian border. The ancient name was Raphia. There in 217 b.c., Ptolemy IV defeated Antiochus III.

Raff, Joseph Joachim

(Encyclopedia) Raff, Joseph JoachimRaff, Joseph Joachimyōˈzĕf yōˈäkhĭm räf [key], 1822–82, Swiss-German composer and pianist, largely self-taught. He was a friend and follower of Liszt, who produced…

Raffarin, Jean-Pierre

(Encyclopedia) Raffarin, Jean-PierreRaffarin, Jean-PierrezhäN-pyĕr räfärăNˈ [key], 1948–, French politician. From a political family, he began his career in business and served as a spokesman for a…

Raffet, Denis Auguste Marie

(Encyclopedia) Raffet, Denis Auguste MarieRaffet, Denis Auguste Mariedənēˈ ōgüstˈ märēˈ räfāˈ [key], 1804–60, French lithographer and illustrator; student of Charlet and of Gros. He attained an…

Ballard, J. G.

(Encyclopedia) Ballard, J. G. (James Graham Ballard)Ballard, J. G.bălˈərd [key], 1930–2009, English writer, mainly of dystopian science fiction. Born to English parents in Shanghai, he was torn from…

raffia

(Encyclopedia) raffiaraffiarăfˈēə [key] or raphiaraffiarāˈfēə [key], fiber obtained from the raffia palm of Madagascar, exported for various uses, such as tying up plants that require support,…

Raffles, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley

(Encyclopedia) Raffles, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley, 1781–1826, British East Indian administrator. He was one of the founders of Britain's empire in East Asia. Beginning his career (1795) as a clerk…

rafflesia

(Encyclopedia) rafflesiarafflesiarăflēˈzhə [key], any of a genus (Rafflesia) of parasitic plants native to the rain forests of the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines. The plants…

Rafsanjani, Hashemi

(Encyclopedia) Rafsanjani, Hashemi (Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani)Rafsanjani, Hashemiälēˈ äkˈbär häshˈəmē räfˌsänjänˈē [key], 1934–2017, Iranian religious and political leader, president of Iran (1989…

raft

(Encyclopedia) raft, floating platform of wood, cork, or air-inflated rubber for conveying goods or people. Originally, several logs, bound together by vines, strips of animal skin, and later rope,…